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JavaScript

Mark Tripney
Mark Tripney
8,666 Points
Posted by Mark Tripney
Mark Tripney
8,666 Points

Would this be a valid use for a getter?

I’m trying to understand the design of OOP code as much as the syntax. And, it’s tough! As a practice exercise, I’m building a little program to generate characters for a role-playing game...

I’d like to have a Character class. When objects are instantiated from this class, I’d like to have the object’s initial quantity of silver randomised, according to a formula (so, they could start with anything from 20 to 120 pieces of silver - two d6 x 10, RPG fans!)

Now, would this be a suitable getter? MDN defines get as, “ The get syntax binds an object property to a function that will be called when that property is looked up.” This sounds like what I’m after, I think... ? Or would a straightforward method be better, attached as a value to the property in the constructor?

Thoughts/corrections to my understanding welcome!

2 Answers

Zimri Leijen
Zimri Leijen
11,835 Points
Zimri Leijen
Zimri Leijen
11,835 Points

You wouldn't want their silver to be randomized every time you get the value, so you'd randomize it during construction.

The getter would simply look up the current value

Mark Tripney
Mark Tripney
8,666 Points
Mark Tripney
Mark Tripney
8,666 Points

Thanks, Zimri. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the purpose of a getter. I'd only want the value to be randomised once, at the point of instantiation... so there would never really be a need to look up the value, as I understand it. Once the objects — the actual characters — have been created, their property values (in this example, how much silver they have) would be handled per object, and not via the class?

So, would a getter be used to look up a value which existed outside the class, but which was important to the class when it's called?